Correspondence

ESFA Update further education: 8 June 2022

Published 8 June 2022

This correspondence was withdrawn on 27 December 2023

This has been withdrawn as it’s out of date. Read the latest editions of ESFA Update for the latest news and information.

Applies to England

1. Reminder: year-end forecast funding claim for 2021 to 2022

The year-end forecast funding claim window will open at 9am on Friday 10 June 2022. Please submit your year-end funding claim by 4pm on Wednesday 15 June 2022.The claim form will be available on Submit Learner Data.

You will need to submit a claim if you receive funds through these contracts:

• grant funded – ESFA adult education budget (AEB) (adult skills, community learning, 19 to 24 traineeships and NSF Level 3 adult offer (for learners aged 23 or under))
• grant funded – ESFA NSF Level 3 adult offer (for learners aged 24 or over)
• grant funded - advanced learner loans bursary (ALLB)
• 16 to 19 education

For more information, please see the 2021 to 2022 funding claims guidance. The user guide to help you complete the form is available on GOV.UK.

Once you have submitted your claim you will also be able to view it on the Manage your education and skills funding.

If you have any queries, please use our help centre to contact us.

2. Reminder: local authority high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide survey

We’d like to gather user feedback on the content and format of the current high needs funding: 2022 to 2023 operational guide. We’ll use feedback received from the survey to inform and shape future publications of the guide.

You can access the survey and submit your responses by 27 June 2022. Please note, this survey is optional.

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at CRM.QUERIES@education.gov.uk.

Thank you in advance for your participation and contributions – the views of our audience are important to us and will help improve the accessibility of future publications.

3. Information: adult education budget (AEB) funding rates and formula guidance for 2022 to 2023

We have published version 1 of the 2022 to 2023 AEB funding rates and formula. There are no major changes to the funding system from the 2021 to 2022 year. The only minor change to the guidance document is:

• we have removed references to high value courses for school and college leavers: a one-year offer for 18 and 19-year-olds, as you were required to complete delivery on these courses by 31 March 2022 in the 2021 to 2022 funding year.

If you have any questions, please contact us using our enquiry form.

4. Information: further education (FE) workforce data collection

Last year we launched the FE workforce data collection to:

• provide a better understanding of the implications of government policy reforms and their impact on the composition of staff and their specialisms, for example the impact of the introduction of T Levels
• provide a greater understanding of pay in the sector, such as the impact of pay on staff recruitment, gender pay gap, underfunding in the sector compared with other education sectors
• reveal skills gaps in the sector and model skills gaps and their impacts.

In its first year, participation in the collection was voluntary, but from September 2022, submitting a return is mandatory for all eligible providers. This collection will allow us to build reliable data sets to help design effective and impactful policy to support the sector going forwards.

We will be publishing outcomes in spring 2023, for the benefit of providers and key stakeholders, such as Ofsted and sector representatives.

The collection for the 2021 to 2022 academic year will open on 12 September 2022 and will close on 25 November 2022.

There are a few changes for this year:

• we will collect a Sub Role under the existing Senior Leader, Manager, Teacher, Support and Administration Roles for each staff member
• a new data item to capture whether the staff member had a pay rise during the 2021 to 2022 academic year.
• a new data item to capture whether the staff member has benefitted from participating in DfE programmes during the 2021 to 2022 academic year.

Revised documents have been published on GOV.UK:

• FE workforce staff record specification 2021 to 2022
• Schema for the FE workforce data collection
• Example of staff data

Other documents that require updating will be published later.

5. Information: qualification achievement rates

We have now published the following documents for Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR) 2021 to 2022 on GOV.UK:

• qualification achievement rates business rules 2021 to 2022
• apprenticeship qualification achievement rates technical specification 2021 to 2022
• traineeship qualification achievement rates technical specification 2021 to 2022
• education and training qualification achievement rates technical specification 2021 to 2022

These documents provide technical information about how we produce the QAR dataset and should be read alongside the business rules, which explain the methodology for calculating QARs for 2021 to 2022.

As referenced in the business rules, we will be sharing with providers in-year QAR data via the View Your Education Data portal. In preparation for accessing the data, please ensure you have the correct IDAMS user access. The IDAMS user guides provide detail for creating access or checking your user permissions.

If you have any questions, please contact us using our online enquiry form.

6. Information: Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies

In February 2022, we launched the Register of Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies. Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies enable employers in sectors with project-based employment models, such as creative, construction and digital, to make much greater use of apprenticeships.

Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies recruit and employ apprentices and place them with host businesses. These agencies understand their sectors and regions and they have identified barriers that have prevented employers from engaging with apprenticeships.

Agencies have started recruiting apprentices and if you would like more information, please contact the agencies using the contact details on the register.

7. Information: a new way to gather apprenticeship feedback

We have launched a new feature where apprentices can give feedback about their training. Allowing you to gather insights to help further develop your training programme.

Your apprentices can now give anonymous feedback from their My Apprenticeship account.

The apprentice will be asked to agree or disagree with 12 questions in the feedback survey. They will then be asked to rate their training from ‘excellent’ to ‘very poor.’

Your apprentices can start giving feedback 3 months into their training and can update it every 3 weeks.

As a training provider, you will be able to review the feedback from your apprentices in Find apprenticeship training once 10 apprentices have responded.

Employers and apprentices will also be able to view your performance ratings. This new feedback feature will be invaluable in helping you provide the best training possible.

If you require additional support using the apprenticeship service, visit our help portal where you can access help articles.

8. Information: keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2022

The revised version of Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), for implementation from 1 September 2022 is now available.

The Department publishes the guidance in advance to enable trustees to plan ahead and ensure any changes to statutory guidance can be factored into policies, procedures and training before the guidance is live. Trustees are reminded their child protection policy should be reviewed annually (as a minimum) and updated if needed, so that it is kept up to date with safeguarding issues as they emerge and evolve, including lessons learnt.

9. Information: Launch of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2022

We are pleased to announce that the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2022 – the annual ranking of England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers, produced by the Department for Education – will be launched during a special 90-minute live broadcast, beginning at 2.30pm on Wednesday 29th June.

Register now to watch the broadcast – and find out which employers are the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers for 2022.

10. Information: National Apprenticeship Awards 2022

The National Apprenticeship Awards 2022 are now open for applications! Back for their 19th year, the National Apprenticeship Awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase the apprentices, employers and champions who have gone above and beyond.
 
Entries to the awards are open from 6 June to 1 July 2022. It is free to enter the awards, and all entries must be made through our application website.

Nine face to face regional ceremonies will be held during October 2022, with the national ceremony taking place on Wednesday 30 November.
 
Visit our website to find out more about the National Apprenticeship Awards.
In the meantime please join the conversation on Twitter using @Apprenticeships and #AppAwards22.

11. Information: National Apprenticeship Week 2023

The Department for Education is pleased to announce that the sixteenth annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place from 6 to 12 February 2023.

National Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships, showcasing the impact and benefits apprenticeships can have on communities, local businesses, and regional economies.

The week will also be a opportunity to promote other skills routes on offer and the benefits they bring to businesses and learners, including T Levels and Traineeships.

Show your support and build the enthusiasm for National Apprenticeship Week 2023 by sharing the dates through your social media channels and start to plan your own amazing #NAW2023 activity.